This Is Us
by Joy Katie
Summary: A fluffy/angsty oneshot based on a prank channel on Youtube. Emma decides to pull a prank on Regina to try and cheer her up. Could her childish side be just what their relationship needs or the start of the end for Storybrooke's power couple.


This Is Us

Emma snickered as she set up the camera on the bookcase opposite the sofa, hidden between some of the trashy novels Regina owned but swore she had never read. Henry had dared her to prank his other mother and Emma, never one to back down from a thirteen year olds dare, had spent the last three days planning the perfect prank.

Regina was due home from work, early with it being Friday and with Emma having just returned from a four day police conference in New York and so she had about ten minutes to implement the next step of her plan.

It was easy. She'd already planned how to make it happen and so checked the hid the camera remote in her pocket and relaxed into the sofa, pulling up the one video that always made her emotional. It was just ending and Emma was beginning to tear up as she heard the front door open. She put her phone in her pocket and stood, schooling her features to look as upset as she could while trying not to smile at her _genius_ plan. She heard the usual sounds of Regina putting down her keys and hanging up her coat, and pinched the inside of her elbow hard enough to make sure her eyes were watering when her girlfriend walked into the room. The second before she entered, she pressed the remote in her pocket, turning on the camera to catch the whole show.

She hadn't told her that she would be home at this time, and being expected back that evening instead meant when Regina saw her, she squealed in a very un-Regina way, and ran to her, the pair embracing. Emma allowed herself the comfort of girlfriend for a moment, before she blanked her features and pulled back. She looked just the right amount of upset that Regina would notice but she wouldn't immediately question it.

"Emma!" The older woman grabbed her hands, her eyes shining and pulled her closer to the sofa. Emma was smiling, just, trying to stay in control for the prank. The look on Regina's face however made it difficult, and she found herself smiling wider at the sight. "I am so glad to see you, I've missed you so much!" They hugged again, and Emma used the opportunity again to bite the inside of her cheek and pinch her elbow. When they separated, Regina was still smiling, and pressed forward to kiss the other woman, seemingly not noticing the blonde was yet to speak.

"Hold on Regina… look can we just sit down. We need to talk about something." Emma asked quietly as she sat and gestured down next to her.

Regina wasn't fazed and she grinned again, simply happy to just have her girlfriend back home. It was time, Emma decided. She glanced up at the camera checking it was in the right place to catch the whole exchange before she looked seriously at the brunette.

"Regina, listen… I need to tell you something. And I will understand if you…" Emma began to speak, not having planned exactly what she wanted to say, but she had a rough idea. Before she could continue, Regina interrupted.

"Are you okay? What's going on Emma? If I what?" Emma took hold of Regina's hand at the concerned look in her eyes and looked down at her lap in an effort to look upset, but really, just trying to hide the smirk on her face. "Emma, look at me. What's going on?" With no response, she tried to tile Emma's chin up to look in her eyes. "You're scaring me Emma, what's wrong?"

_This is it_, Emma thought, as she glanced up at her girlfriend.

"I slept with someone else while I was at the conference. I'm really sorry, Gina, I got drunk after the first night because I missed you and I was miserable and I know that being drunk is no excuse and I understand completely if you don't want to see me anymore but I just couldn't come home and act like everything is normal, I had to tell you, even if it meant the…" She stopped talking as Regina squeezed her hand and Emma was surprised to see Regina didn't look as upset as she expected her to be. She released her girlfriends hand and pressed the heels of her palms to her closed eyes, and sighed. Part of Emma hated herself for doing this to the love of her life, but she knew once Regina understood it was all a prank, that they'd laugh about it.

"It's okay." Regina muttered quietly before announcing it again, louder the second time.

"I'm so sorry Regina… I…" Again she paused as Regina frowned, and it took Emma a moment to remind herself that she hadn't actually cheated, and the guilt she was feeling was more for upsetting her girlfriend than actually committing the act. The quiver of Regina's bottom lip caused a flutter in her stomach and once again she almost came clean.

"No… it's okay… I'm not mad at you… I slept with someone else too." In that second, Emma's stomach dropped. She pulled back, unsure what to say, a sudden wave of nausea washing over her.

"Wait… you what?" She pulled back again, willing Regina to look her in the eye so she could see if she was lying. "You're kidding right? I'm just messing around, you knew that and you're getting me back right?"

The tears that filled Regina's eyes and the look of guilt on her face made Emma's throat close up and she stood and took a few steps away, unsure what she was supposed to be doing in that moment.

"I'm sorry Emma. Don't freak out. Now we both…"

"Don't freak out? Don't freak out?! I was kidding! It was a prank me and Henry planned. Tell me you're just kidding!"

Regina looked down at her hands again, staring at her knotted fingers. Emma watches as tears fell on her lap and Emma struggled to swallow, feeling like her world was ending. "No Regina, no!"

"Emma I'm really sorry… I just missed you and I had got used to not sleeping alone and I don't know… it just happened… I promise you it meant nothing and Ruby… she knows it was a mistake. That it didn't mean anything…"

"YOU SLEPT WITH RUBY?!" The upset she had been feeling had quickly turned to pain and she sat down again with a thud. "I can't believe this… Henry called me. He said you'd been miserable and that I should do something to cheer you up. Make you laugh… He dared me with a prank. I didn't think you'd cheer yourself up with a booty call?" She stood up again, her mind spinning.

"I have to get out of here. I'm going to be sick. I can't… I can't be near you right now. I was kidding Regina... I can't believe you would… as soon as I'm out of town." She felt that she would cry if she did not get out of there as soon as possible.

She was nearly out of the room when she heard Regina giggle and the upset immediately turned to anger. She turned, angrily wiping the tears that had managed to fall and glared at the other woman. "I'm sorry, is this funny to you?" Regina raised her head, seemingly unable to stop the smile from spreading on her face.

"Maybe next time Emma, you shouldn't call Henry when it's past his bedtime for help planning this hilarious prank. Maybe you shouldn't have taken on a sidekick who can be so easily bribed for information. Maybe you should have hidden the camera better." The brunette had stood at this point, and taken a few steps towards her girlfriend, her hands displayed to try and calm the woman who was almost vibrating with emotion.

"I… you… what…" She took a few moments to absorb the new information, trying to assess if the woman was still lying and was just trying to cover up. When Regina stepped to the bookcase to point to the camera, she made her decision. "You were just kidding?" Her voice was small and at the acknowledgement, she looked so relieved that Regina's heart broke just a little, that she had evidently upset the woman so much.

"Of course I was you silly woman. Henry was just so excited about this he could barely contain himself. It only took one hot chocolate with cinnamon for him to spill the beans…" She was interrupted by the taller woman flinging her arms around her neck, trying to calm down her racing heart. The pair stood in silence for a few minutes, until Regina could no longer feel Emma's heart beating through her chest. Regina had one arm on Emma's back, the other at her neck, running her fingers though the hair at the nape. It was Emma that spoke first.

"So… Ruby...?" Emma asked, not as insecure as she'd felt earlier, now she knew that neither of them had strayed from the other.

Regina laughed loudly and it warmed Emma's heart. It had always been her favourite sound and she realised that although it had been a heart-breaking five minutes, with her prank she had achieved what she wanted to. "You think that I'd still be standing if Dorothy thought I'd been intimate with her girlfriend?" They stayed joined in their embrace, both needing the comfort from the other with Regina going back to stroking Emma's back.

"You know I'd never cheat on you my love. This is us. You mean too much to me. Plus. Henry would never forgive me, and he is on the wrong side of puberty right now."

* * *

It had been three weeks since Emma had returned from her conference and they had returned to some relatively normal semblance of life. They had discussed the prank, once, a few days later and Emma had apologised for it happening. It had led to an apology from Regina for taking it too far and after a conversation deep into the early hours, they'd both ended up laughing about it.

Aside from a small fight they'd had after Emma had left a red sock in a load of white laundry when she'd tried to be 'helpful' but aside from that, they'd been living in a happy little bubble.

It was after the weekend where Emma had deliberately changed Regina's alarm to go off at 4am that she decided to get her back. Granted the early morning wake up had ended with them both needing to take a shower, and then another, and so she wasn't really mad, but she needed to nip the pranking in the bud before it got too serious.

Of course, it would be easy to blame Henry for the pranks. He had dared the first one. He was the one that was difficult to say no to. He was the one that showed her an Australian couple online that pranked each other and together they planned the perfect way to get Emma back. She decided to cook a quiet family dinner for the three of them and asked Henry for help. He didn't cook much, but instead held the camera and narrated as Regina cooked.

Emma had returned from a long day at the station to her favourite smell. Regina had text her throughout the day informing her they would be having a family game night and that she was cooking her favourite and because of that Emma had bypassed lunch in anticipation.

Henry and Regina were in the kitchen when she arrived home and Henry snickered as Regina held a finger to her lips.

"Go and set the table Henry, and don't tell your mother what we've done." He grabbed the camera he had been recording with left the room and Regina pulled the lasagnes out of the oven, dishing the larger onto two plates, and a separate smaller dish of the same portion size into a third plate. She leant forward, closer to the dish trying to see if the smell of chilli was overpowering as the taste would be. She could only smell oregano and cheese and so grinned in self-satisfaction and stood straight, moving to take the garlic bread out from the warming plate. The bowl of salad was uncovered and Regina took the dishes to the table, kissing Emma's cheek before she excused herself back to the kitchen.

She and Henry had already hidden all the drinks out of sight from Emma and with Henry's assistance she had managed to turn off the water in the tap and disable the ice machine. She had also hidden the extra spicy chilli, whose seeds she'd added into Emma's lasagne, as well as the chilli sauce that Henry had ordered online, which had three skull and crossbones and the word death written clearly on the label; 100,000 scoville units Henry pointed out when it was delivered.

As a little extra touch, just in case there wasn't enough spice, she'd made sure to add a little extra spicy chilli powder into the portion of garlic bread she'd set aside for the other woman. Regina knew that Emma was… okay… in handling her spice, and she was more just looking forward to the surprise from the woman when she realised her older, less tech savvy girlfriend had pulled a prank on her.

She made her way back into the dining room with a handful of napkins and glanced at the spot where Henry had informed her he would be keeping the camera, and joined her family with a grin. She squeezed Emma's hand when the blonde reached out for hers and helped herself to some salad. She'd made sure everyone's plates were in the right spot and so bit her lip to hide her smile when Emma breathed in the smell of her food, seemingly not noticing any strong smell as she picked up her fork ready to dig in.

"Just a warning, I added a little extra spice to this one. I wanted to try something new." Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes as if to remind Regina that she could handle spice in her food.

Henry and Regina shared a glance and waited for Emma to take the first bite. They weren't disappointed when she scooped a large forkful and began to eat in true Emma fashion. Henry had planned his reaction and reacted as he had when he'd stolen a slice of Emma's pizza and bitten directly into a jalapeño. He took a drink from his glass and picked up a slice of cucumber from his plate.

It took a few bites to get any reaction from the blonde.

"Hauaghhhh!" Regina looked up in shock at the noise that seemed to be coming out of Emma. Henry had snorted and continued to eat, drinking after every few bites as if he couldn't handle it, as Regina reached over to touch Emma's arm.

"Are you ok sweetheart?" Emma looked up at Regina with a frown.

"This… it's so hot! What did you do?"

"Oh, I just added a few chilli flakes into the sauce. It was just a pinch really." She frowned in faux confusion and looked to Henry who looked like he was close to licking his plate clean. "I don't think that it's that spicy Emma… Henry seems to be managing fine, and he's a baby when it comes to spice." She smirked when Emma glanced over at their son, shocked to see he was nearly finished. Henry was pretending to glare at Regina but he was loving how the prank was turning out, especially when he noticed his mother going red, a bead of sweat beginning to form on her forehead.

"It was probably just bad mixing, more of the flakes in that part of the lasagne. I doubt the rest will be as spicy as you're making out. But here…" She paused, directing Emma's gaze to her side dish when she pointed at it. Have some garlic bread but the rest of it shouldn't be as bad." Emma looked at her girlfriend sceptically and Regina pulled her lip between her teeth, concerned she had given away too much.

With a shrug, Emma went back to eating her food, taking a bite of her garlic bread before immediately piercing a tomato on her fork. Regina looked down at her own plate and cut away a bite sized piece of her lasagne. She could sense Emma was watching her out of the corner of her eye and decided to play along. There was no way she was letting herself be out-pranked by the blonde and so after she had swallowed her food, she pretended to be affected by the spice. She didn't fail to notice the self-satisfied smirk on Emma's face.

She continued to eat, watching as Emma shovelled the food down. Regina kept pretending to be affected by the non-existent spice in her dish, while Emma kept pretending she wasn't. Her face was getting more and redder and she was actively sweating when she was halfway through the large portion of her dinner. She paused to finish her salad and garlic bread, something Regina had never seen before and Regina smirked down at her plate as Emma pushed her seat away from the table. Her lips looked like they were stained and she had tears in her eyes as she moved towards the kitchen. With a wink to Henry and a gesture towards the camera, she stood to follow her girlfriend and reached the kitchen just as she opened the fridge to find a drink.

Her face dropped in confusion at the lack of liquids in the fridge. Regina had removed the filtered jug of water, the wines and beers, milk, even the gross juices that Regina drank often; tomato, cranberry and grapefruit juices were gone. She slammed the door shut and opened the freezer seeing the ice trays were empty, and there was nothing she could turn into a drink. She glared at Regina, tears actually forming in her eyes as she tried the ice machine and when nothing came out, she turned to the taps. Water would have been the last thing she wanted, having preferred to drink the chocolate milk she knew Henry kept there, but seeing nothing coming out of the tap when she tried it caused a craving for the water she only usually drank when she was forced to.

The burning in her oesophagus was getting worse and Regina was secretly getting concerned about the colour her face was turning. Emma turned back to the fridge looking for yoghurt or anything that would remove the acrid taste from her throat.

Then she spotted the pickle juice.

Regina had overlooked it when clearing the fridge and turning off the water and the ice machine. Emma hated pickles with a passion, it was the only thing she would downright refuse to eat, having once informed Regina she would rather eat blended Brussel sprouts than pickles. Emma spotted the jar and opened it, before Regina could say anything she began to drink the juice from the jar, cringing as she drank. Regina turned to Henry, seeing how he had been trying to hide the fact he was recording. She shook her head at him and he frowned, turning the camera off before escaping to the other room. With a quick swish of her wrist, Regina produced a bowl of ice cream, one scoop chocolate fudge, the other rocky road, with the toppings that created Emma's favourite dessert.

Emma looked hesitant as Regina tried to hand the bowl over, but the taste in her mouth on top of the burning from the chilli was more than she could handle and she accepted it, carefully trying one scoop before realising it was just ice cream. She began to inhale the dessert and within minutes had scraped the bowl clean. The tears had dried and her face was slightly less red, but Regina could sense the frustration coming from the blonde in waves. She sighed, stepping closer to Emma and opened her arms for a hug. Albeit reluctantly, Emma closed the gap between them, melting into her girlfriends embrace.

"I'm sorry my love. I tried to prank you but it failed miserably." Regina sounded contrite as she spoke. Emma nodded against Regina's shoulder and the shorter woman could tell she was pouting. "I guess I have to concede that you are the master." The childish side of Emma won out over the side that was mad at Regina and she stood straight, nodding with a grin.

"And don't you forget it. Just like you can't con a conman... you can't prank... well, me."

* * *

After Regina's failed attempt at pulling off a prank, Emma had decided to wait a while to make sure that the brunette wasn't waiting for her to pull something. She wanted her to think that she had decided to lay the pranking to rest.

In that time, she planned what she thought would be an epic prank.

It was one that required her to learn a new spell and that alone took enough time that pranks were no longer discussed in at 108 Mifflin. She had near perfected the spell at a time that was two weeks before their anniversary, and on a night where she was working late at the station, the only thing on the TV being re-runs of old dramas, she found the perfect time to pull off the prank, as part of a wider, forgotten anniversary prank. She knew Regina was not the kind of person to remind her when their anniversary was, and she did remember. All the important dates of their relationship were tattooed on her brain, but as much as Regina expected from her girlfriend, it was under the assumption that she was a little bit… '_blonde'_ at important things.

On the morning of their third anniversary, Emma woke up to see a smiling Regina beside her, reading a book as she waited for the blonde to properly wake. Emma had had a knot in her stomach since they had gone to sleep about what she was going to try over the next few hours, but it was not enough to stop her wanting to get Regina back for almost poisoning her. Again.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself before she sat up, pressed a kiss to Regina's cheek and got up from the bed. "Morning babe. What are you doing still in bed?" She caught the look of confusion that flashed across her love's face in the mirror as she opened the closet to pick out her outfit, noticing she had clearly been up a while and had put on a little makeup and changed her pyjamas into a lace and silk number. Emma kept her back to her girlfriend to stop her running back to bed and worshipping her girlfriend like the queen she was and swallowed down the desire that was rising in her throat as she saw Regina properly in the mirror. The confusion had turned to a look of resignation, and seeing Emma continue to dress, she closed her book and stood herself, beginning her usual morning routine. She had hoped that there would be some time for them to enjoy each other's company in the morning, but it seemed that Emma had either forgotten the date or just wasn't in the mood.

For their past anniversary, Emma had gone all out. She'd planned breakfast, given a perfect gift and taken Regina for a tour of all her favourite spots in Boston. Regina couldn't understand why this year was so different. Dejectedly, she grabbed the outfit she'd chosen for the day and made her way into the bathroom to change. If Emma didn't want to appreciate her when she had the chance, she wouldn't be letting her ogle her if she was so urgent to leave her on their anniversary.

Emma watched her go and sighed, unsure how she was supposed to react. For the sake of the prank she decided to just continue with her plan. She went downstairs and made coffee, leaving a cup on the counter for Regina, like she did every morning that she was up first. She paused when she heard Regina moving about upstairs, not sure whether to go into work or to stay, but her cover had called in sick and ultimately, she needed to be there for the morning, even if she did want to stay home with the love of her life. She turned back into the kitchen and found the marker pen and left a message for Regina on the whiteboard attached to their fridge, simply saying '_I'll be home at lunch, I love you x_'.

She couldn't let a day, let alone their anniversary go by without telling her at least once that she loved her.

The knot in her stomach did make Emma question if it was worth continuing, but she knew what she had planned was necessary enough to enable her to continue with the anniversary plans that she had for later. Henry was with David fishing for the morning and was scheduled to return home when Emma called Regina out to the station later.

Regina made her way downstairs when she heard the front door close and found the steaming cup on the counter. She frowned, more upset than annoyed that Emma had forgotten their anniversary before looking in the fridge, checking to see if Henry had taken the lunch she had packed for him. The note on the side caught her eye as she shut the door. She pouted at the messy scrawl of her girlfriend and huffed, deciding right then that she would make sure she wasn't home for lunch. If Emma was going to be difficult, so was she.

She didn't have to be in work that day and so completed some outstanding paperwork from her home office and then decided to go out and treat her bad mood with some retail therapy. There weren't many places to shop around Storybrooke but there were plans in place to build more modern stores. She decided instead to go to the new town coffee shop with her laptop and do some online shopping with one of their speciality fruit tarts. She decided to dress casually and the sun was already bright outside so she changed into a nice summer dress, hoping that if Emma were to see her, she'd see that she was having a superb day all by herself.

She tried to stop herself checking her phone every so often as she browsed, read her book, tried three different types of coffee and planned her next month of meetings and appointments. It was just after midday when her phone finally lit up. Part of her was expecting something along the lines of an apology for almost ruining their anniversary with an invitation for something fun.

What she received did not contain an apology but could still be some kind of open invitation, and it confused her as she read.

'_Babe, can you come to the station, I need you._'

Emma had spent the morning at the station working out schedules, filling out paperwork sand writing out reports, covering for her sick deputy without having to leave the office. Henry had text her just after 12 that they were done fishing as Neal had begun to misbehave and that they would be going home, ready to set up for the surprise that Emma had planned.

It was time to put the second part of her plan into action. She waited until the afternoon shift had arrived went outside to where her bug was parked. She had texted Regina and hoped that if she was at home she had read the message and decided to come. The sun was high in the sky and she took her jacket off, lifting the hood of the bug before locking it into place. She pretended to look over the engine, fiddling with a few things until she heard her name being called from the other side of the street. She turned, seeing Regina stood watching her, the dress she was wearing blowing gently in the soft breeze. Emma's throat went dry at the sight of her girlfriend and she waved once before she turned back to the car to avoid running across the road and taking her into her arms.

Regina grimaced, the reaction from her girlfriend not what she had been hoping it would. She walked slowly across the road, enjoying the view of Emma's muscles as she leant over the car. When she was about three feet away from her girlfriend she paused, again appreciating the view.

Emma could sense the brunette behind her and so put her plan into action.

"Hey babe, I'm sorry but the bug won't start and …" She spoke into the engine and closed her eyes focusing on her plan, pushing her hand a little further into the engine like she was trying to reach for something. A moment later there was a loud zapping noise and she tensed, all the muscles in her body constricting as the electricity surged through her.

For a second, she thought she had messed up the spell as a pain that could only describe as excruciating spread through her. It passed as soon as it came but she still fell to the floor, unable to keep her eyes open.

"Emma?" Regina watched her girlfriend drop to the floor and closed the distance between them in a second. She was on her knees beside the twitching blonde, running a hand over her face to try and rouse her.

"Emma! Wake up, Emma!" The sheriff could hear a distant voice calling her name but found herself unable to respond.

Seeing no awareness in the blonde and panicking more than she would like to admit, she waved her hand, appearing in the hospital in a puff of smoke. She was cursing her girlfriend inside her head for being stupid enough to try and fix the metal coffin with no qualifications, the fact that she'd forgotten the anniversary was no longer a big deal.

They arrived in the hospital no more than one minute after Emma had suffered the shock and she immediately flagged down a member of staff who took one look at the unconscious woman in her arms and called for a gurney.

By 12:30 on their third anniversary, Regina was pacing around the hospital corridor, waiting for an update report on her girlfriend. She swore to herself where she stood that she was going to make the sheriff either buy a new car or pay whatever it cost to get it to a good working condition. She sat down and buried her head in her hands, trying to calm her breathing.

This was not how today was supposed to go.

By 12:35 Regina was beginning to panic. She had heard nothing. She had tried to go into the room but was refused access. Not even the threat of them losing their jobs was enough to let her pass. She'd asked if her EKG had come back with any concerns but the nurse had simply rolled her eyes and carried on with her work. Regina had been overexaggerating on her threat of dismissal but decided that the reaction of the nurse was too unprofessional not to face consequences.

By 12:45, Regina was on her way up to the scanning department to determine if Emma had been taken for an MRI or any other kind of scan that would explain why she was not in her bed when she had poked her head around the door minutes ago. She was walking briskly and thinking back to their last anniversary in an effort not to think about all the negative things that were threatening to run rampant in her brain.

The scan room was empty.

Dejected, the mayor made her way back downstairs, ready to kick up a fuss with the chief if she wasn't given the information she was looking for. She was walking while she wrote an email to her assistant asking her to find the relevant paperwork required to dismiss the nurse, and so didn't see the blonde sat on the chair she had vacated, grinning shyly at the older woman.

"Hey there Madam Mayor."

The shock caused the brunette to drop her phone and she watched as it smashed in slow motion. With an aggravated sigh and a swish of her wrist, it was back in her hand in one piece.

"What the f… Sheriff Swan?!" She was dressed normally and was holding to to-go cups of coffee. "What is going on?"

"Uhhh… April Fools?" She looked quizzical, but Regina could see a cheeky grin behind her hesitation.

"No, Emma." She raised one brow and simply stared the woman down until she got the answer she was looking for.

"It was a prank. It just went a little wrong. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Emma..." Regina took a deep breath closing her eyes, drawing herself to her full height before she responded to the blonde. "That was not funny. Do not do that to me again." Without another word she turned, not wanting to communicate with her girlfriend anymore than necessary. She wasn't convinced now that the blonde had forgotten their anniversary, now more concerned she had deliberately ignored it in order to pull a prank. She was getting very tired of these pranks, and she wanted to leave before she said something she would regret.

She heard Emma call out from behind her and she almost paused, but there was only so much she could handle at that time and thinking that her girlfriend could be dead was the limit for the day. She wanted to get home and see her son and take a bath and drink the expensive wine she had been storing for the occasion.

She decided to walk, hoping the fresh air would help calm her before she was back around her son. She hoped that Emma would return to the station; she was unwilling to play nice with the blonde for the time being.

It was only 1:30 when she reached Main Street and her stomach rumbled when she walked past Granny's, the door open in the heat and the smell of the food was wafting out. She realised that all she had eaten so far that day was the fruit tart, and in the event Emma had gone home to meet her there, she decided to stop for lunch.

When she left the diner about forty minutes later, she decided she could no longer avoid going home. With a flick of her wrist she appeared in the hallway, expecting to see Emma sulking around. She looked around the ha;;way as if expecting Emma to pop out from one of the many doorways and started to make her way up the stairs before her name was called from behind her.

"Mom… What are you doing here? Where's Ma, aren't you supposed to be on a date?"

Regina turned from a few stairs up, seeing Henry stood in the doorway, a guilty look on his face.

"Henry? I thought you were fishing?"

"We left early. Where's Ma?"

"She's not here?" Regina frowned when he shook his head and she pulled out her phone quickly, checking if she'd missed a message, concerned for a moment, before she remembered what she'd just pulled. She shrugged and turned away from her son, starting back up the stairs.

"I don't know. I left her at the hospital. Maybe she went back to the station." She was up to her room when she heard Henry calling from behind her, asking her to repeat what she just said. She heard the front door close and decided to stick to her original plan and grab the wine before taking a long hot bath.

Something was wrong.

At the bottom of the stairs there was an overnight bag, leaning against the table in the hallway. She'd missed it when she'd arrived in her anger but now it gave way to sadness. Had Emma decided to sleep somewhere else on the night of their anniversary? The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. What was going on with them?

The mayor made her way into the kitchen which looked different than when she had left it. There were half unpacked grocery backs on one counter and a pile of cookery books on the island. A look into the dining room showed an array of dessert foods on a covered platter and a number of bottles of wine surrounding it. Regina could see they were expensive and she could tell they were not from her collection and that confused her even more.

The front door opening and closing caught her attention and before she could turn and face the woman she knew had walked in the door, she found herself wrapped in the blonde's arms.

"I'm sorry baby. I just wanted to make it memorable… It was meant to be a prank but I just wanted you out of the house so I could give you an enjoyable anniversary." Realising that Emma wasn't about to leave her, she relaxed into the arms that were wrapped around her.

"I swear Miss Swan, if you ever end up in hospital again because of a prank then you will be finding somewhere else to sleep."

"I won't… I regret most of today Regina. You have no idea how much I wanted to spoil you today, how much I wanted to spend the day in bed with you, drink wine and talk and just cherish you. I wanted to…" She was cut off by Regina pulling out of her arms, and her stomach dropped, until the brunette grabbed her by the wrist, heading towards the stairs.

After Emma had made up for that morning and the pair had shared a shower, Regina remembered what she had seen downstairs and pondered a way to bring it up as Emma sat at the vanity and towel dried her hair.

"So… when did you have time to go grocery shopping?"

Emma sat up straight, her long her flicking behind her with a smirk. "Oh that. Those are our anniversary plans. You know… if you'll have me." Regina's answering grin was almost shy and it warmed Emma's heart. "I sent Henry out with a list after they went fishing. I found a recipe I thought we could try, something we'd both like." She turned to demonstrate she'd finished talking while Regina simply watched her, happy to simply stare at the woman she was in love with, happier now knowing her girlfriend hadn't simply forgotten one of the most important dates of their relationship.

Noticing the silence, Emma turned back around on the stool she was sat on, catching Regina's gaze on her and she found herself blushing by the intensity of it. "Stop looking at me like that, or we'll end up having to take another shower" Emma laughed. Regina grinned salaciously and stood gracefully, stepping over to the blonde with a smirk. She dropped into her lap, wrapping an arm around the blonde woman's neck.

"I believe you promised me food Miss Swan. I'm hungry."

It was mid-afternoon when the pair returned to the kitchen. Henry had text to inform them he was spending the rest of the day and night with his grandparents and so the pair were dressed down, Emma in her jogging gear and Regina in one of Emma's shirts.

"So what was this recipe you found? All of the excitement…" She paused, her face neutral and her voice deadpan "has certainly worked up an appetite." Her face changed into a grin though and she continued. "And you certainly made me work up an appetite. So what are we cooking?"

"I found a recipe for parmesan risotto and Cajun shrimp, so something cheesy but also suitable for grown-ups and spicy enough for you." The look on her face made Regina chuckle and she started pulling out the ingredients she already knew they'd need.

Emma pulled out the magazine where she found the recipe and started finding the rest of the ingredients from where they'd been stored. She grabbed Regina's wrist as she moved past, spinning her into her arms, releasing her as soon as she'd kissed her.

Regina blushed, her olive skin darkening at the attention she was receiving. They were romantic enough as a couple but for the latter half of their anniversary, Emma seemed to be pulling out all the stops. She busied herself again, this time picking out the relevant utensils and pans they needed. More than once she pressed a kiss to the other woman's shoulder or cheek as they worked together. Emma left Regina to marinate the prawns to the level she preferred and she got to chopping and measuring, wanting to cook at least half the meal instead of sitting back as Regina cooked.

When the shrimp were ready to chill, Emma cleared some space in the fridge and gasped, remembering the desserts that Henry had informed her were waiting in the other room, some of which would be requiring refrigeration.

With a flick of her wrist, the items in the refrigerator moved and with another, the desserts from the dining room table were in the spaces that she had created. She turned to see Regina watching her with a quirked brow and she shrugged, looking towards the pan that was currently heating.

"What exactly do you have planned for us today sweetheart? You know I love to cook, but I'm surprised you want to get involved with it. And I'm surprised I'm letting you." The pair chuckled, Emma grabbing Regina's hands when the brunette reached for them.

"Well I was gonna take us to a cooking class but I know you'd be better than the teacher so I figured we'd cook together, me actually involved and not just watching you. Then I thought we could go wine tasting, but I know you have very… expensive tastes, and the wines at those events are never anything more than mediocre, so I got some of your favourite wines and thought we'd have some nice desserts and some wine." There was a pause as she considered whether or not to tell the brunette about the final stage of her plan. "There's one more thing but I want it to be a surprise so you will just have to wait and see." She kissed the mayors pout away with a happy grin, taking the opportunity while nothing was burning to deepen the kiss, and the faux-annoyed pout on her girlfriends face melted away as she melted into the blonde.

They pulled apart as they remembered the stovetop was on, but kept leaning into the other. It was the most relaxed Regina had looked in a long time. They continued to cook together and half an hour later they were sitting at the dining room table, candles lit around them as they ate the first meal Emma had ever put so much effort into. The moan she gave as she bit into one of the shrimp was almost indecent and it caused Regina to flush, the memories of earlier that afternoon still fresh in her mind. They made small talk as they ate, drinking water so they would be able to enjoy the wine with the desserts a little while later.

After they'd eaten, Emma told Regina to go and change into warm, comfortable clothing, planning to use that time, and she knew there would be enough of it, to do the last errand before the surprise that evening. Although Regina had seemed less than impressed at the idea she would need to change into casual clothing, she did so without complaining after seeing how happy Emma was at their plans. She even found herself smiling at the excited little grin Emma couldn't seem to drop.

She was half the way up the stairs when she felt Emma disappear from the house. With the way their magic had connected when they started dating, they felt each other when exerting a lot of magic, as Emma did every time she poofed anywhere, having not mastered the act with the ease Regina did. She heard the door open and close when she was sat in front of the mirror, trying to work out what to do with her hair. It was just long enough to put it in a ponytail, and she decided for comfort, she would switch out her contacts for her glasses.

When the brunette appeared back downstairs, Emma was removing the desserts from the fridge. She had wine glasses and a corkscrew set out on the island but they were next to a picnic basket. The blonde didn't notice her girlfriend for a moment as she busied herself packing up the chilled desserts in an insulated bag. When she did turn and notice her however she stopped what she was doing, her jaw dropping. Regina squirmed under the intense gaze, beginning to rethink the jeans and Emma's t-shirt she had changed into.

Emma stepped around the kitchen island and up to her girlfriend, taking her hand as she spun the woman around, wanting to fully appreciate her. From her just-there ponytail, her glasses and the jeans that made her ass look better than ever, Emma was almost speechless. She drew her in for a bruising kiss with a grin.

"My my, Madam Mayor, look at you." Regina had noticed the hungry look in the sheriff's eyes and smirked, although she was still a little uncertain. "I do love your fancy pantsuits Regina but… I've never seen you look more beautiful than you do right now." Regina scoffed, thinking of all the outfits she owned and Emma's reactions when she had worn them for the first time. She couldn't think of a time however, where she had reacted like she had just then.

With a shrug, she moved out of Emma's way, sashaying her hips a little as she moved to where Emma was previously stood, packing the desserts, knowing that Emma would be watching. "So, I take it we're going somewhere then?" She asked, gesturing in front of her.

"Yes, we have one more stop, and as we have to drive there I figured we could take the wine with us. Don't worry, I wouldn't drive under the influence. I know my boss would not be happy with the sheriff setting a bad example for her town." She raised a brow but was smiling as the pair packed up everything together. Regina was happy, but not really surprised to see that Emma had picked out all of her favourite desserts, not just the chocolate mousse she only ever ate on special occasions but the colourful chopped fruit, raw honey and other desserts that weren't as 'naughty'. Emma didn't know much about wine and so had picked labels that she vaguely being recognised from inside her house, purchasing them if they had a weighty price tag. She'd left the wine at her parent's house and had told David to bring it over when they'd picked up the groceries. She left Regina to finish packing up the basket while she went upstairs and changed. She grabbed the fleece jacket that Regina kept in the back of the closet, and the warmest blankets she could find.

She was also planning a quick stop at Granny's who was preparing a couple of thermoses of hot drinks to go with the wine. Everything was ready for the last part of their anniversary surprise and Emma hoped that Regina would enjoy it. She was concerned that she was overestimating the plan or she was under prepared.

She had borrowed her father's truck for the final part of their date and had packed it with all the necessities. They added the insulated bag to the load and the blankets to the bed of the truck before setting off, Emma driving. Regina was not sure what was going on, even less so as she noticed they were driving towards Granny's.

"Uhhh… we're not staying here right?" Regina frowned in confusion and Emma chuckled at the look on her face.

"No babe, I just need to pick something up. Stay here, I'll be right back."

She was true to her word and returned less than five minutes later carrying two thermoses, laughing at something that was said to her from inside the diner as she walked towards the truck. Regina simply watched her, the smile on her girlfriend's face warming her once dead heart. It was crazy to see how far they had come in the five years since Emma had first come to Storybrooke and it always made Regina reel a little bit when she realised how far she had come, personally.

When the truck started back up again, and Emma was concentrating on the road, the brunette took the time to just look at her. She didn't do it often, but there were times when she was just overwhelmed with love for the younger woman that she couldn't help it. She bit back a laugh at her own thoughts when she realised it was usually when the blonde was quiet or sleeping that she had that feeling.

She noticed Emma's quizzical look in her direction and shook her head in amusement, looking out of the window to try and work out where they were going. Her amusement turned to puzzlement as she saw the flash of trees and the toll bridge. She was driving into the woods in a direction she couldn't recognise and although she wasn't worried, she was unsure and a little uncomfortable. Regina very rarely spent time in the woods at all, let alone at night time.

That feeling changed when Emma pulled into a clearing she hadn't seen before. It was dusk, and getting darker but there were candles set out, waiting to be lit. The moon was visible, but not yet that bright as the day refused to let go of the light. Suddenly, Regina knew what was happening. Emma was almost bubbling with excitement as she stopped at the edge of the clearing, telling Regina to stay put while she finished the set up. When she was finished she opened Regina's door, offering her hand to help her down and the pair moved to the blanket that had been set up beside the cooler and basket.

The two talked as they shared the desserts that had been packed, Regina hand picking two bottles of wine from the selection that paired best with the desserts they had available. As it got colder, they began to sit closer, talking about all the things they didn't usually talk about. When it became too cold to sit on the hard ground, even nestled next to each other, Emma stood and held out her hand. The stars were now visible and the moon was clear in the sky. The blonde laid out some more blankets in the bed of the truck, pulling out the thermoses and helped Regina in after she beckoned her closer, adding another blanket across her girlfriends lap to make sure she was warm enough.

While the sky darkened further, the stars shone brighter, and Emma held her girlfriend tighter, wrapped up in the multiple blankets, Emma had packed just in case. After waiting for about twenty minutes, the meteor shower Emma had researched was happening had started. The blonde watched as Regina's face lit up in wonder and she pressed a kiss to her temple. They sat back and watched the stars until long after the shower had finished, with Regina falling asleep in Emma's arms soon after. Emma watched her for a few moments, thinking about their past three years. She loved the woman in her arms more than she could ever explain, and she wanted to make sure she proved it to her every day. She was done with the pranks she decided. The hurt that it caused Regina, although it didn't last that long, was not worth it.

A quiet snore from beside her caused her to laugh, the movement waking the other woman, who flushed at Emma's laugh, as she buried her face in her neck. The wind was beginning to pick up and they both knew it was time for them to be heading home. With a sigh, the younger woman sat up straighter, releasing her grip on her girlfriend and removed the blanket from around her knees. "We should get going. We don't want you to freeze out here."

Regina snorted, never liking any insinuation that she was weak. "What about you Miss Swan, you're more likely to freeze than me." Emma smiled lightly, already starting to fold the blankets to put back into the truck.

"Well fortunately I don't think that will happen. I survived a few weeks sleeping on the street once, I have plenty of experience managing the cold." Regina's smile dropped at the thought of a teen Emma surviving on the streets and she shivered, this time not from the temperature. Regina floundered, not sure what she was supposed to say in response, knowing that ultimately it was her fault that she had suffered that way.

"You better not be thinking of driving home Miss Swan, I'm not letting you put yourself in harm's way again today." She rolled her eyes, but Emma knew she wasn't seriously annoyed.

"I know baby." She cupped her face, pressing a delicate kiss to her lips. "This is us. We work together. Like I'd risk hurting you Madam Mayor. Come on. There's still a couple of hours left of our anniversary. I want to make the most of it at home, with you."

* * *

Emma remained true to her word for a few months.

Kind of.

She no longer pulled any pranks that could hurt Regina or that could make her upset. She played silly pranks, childish pranks, more like practical jokes, ones that Henry found hilarious and Regina found annoying. She put salt in the sugar shaker; she put saran wrap on the toilet seat; she put whoopee cushions on Regina's seat when they were both in an important meeting together. Regina would get annoyed but it would pass quickly when she noticed how much more often her girlfriend and son were smiling than they were 5 years ago.

The final straw for Regina came about six months after their anniversary. Emma was being honoured at a dinner for police officers and she wasn't aware. Regina had picked up the invitation and decided to use it to surprise the blonde. All she knew was that they were going out of town on a date and that she needed to dress nice. While Emma was working on the day of the dinner, Regina had gone all out. She'd had her hair done, bought a new dress and had made every effort to make it a memorable night for her girlfriend.

She was therefore more than annoyed at the result of the prank Emma had decided to play that day. Emma had returned home and had headed straight upstairs to shower. Henry had gone straight to his room when he returned and so Regina had decided to cook him some dinner early ad leave it for when he was hungry. The pair had agreed the teen was old enough to stay home by himself as it was only one night and they would be home before midday the next day but she was still concerned he'd eat nothing but junk food. At least this way he'd have a healthy meal.

When she called up the stairs to bring him downstairs to run over the ground rules one more time, there was no answer from his room. She knew that as soon as Emma was ready they needed to leave to get to the event on time and so decided to go and hurry her and talk to her son at the same time. Calling his name at the top of the stairs still received no response and Regina sighed. She could no longer hear the shower and so knocked on Henry's door first. With no noise coming from inside and the door slightly open, she pushed it open, ready to yell at Henry for playing his music too loud with his headphones.

She didn't expect the bucket on top of the door, or for it to fall and spill its contents all in her hair and over her dress.

"EMMAAAAAA!" She heard the distinctive sounds of her son and girlfriend laughing from inside the room, and she was suddenly filled with a white hot fury. She slammed the door open shaking off the glitter that was all over her. "Finish getting ready and get in the car Miss Swan. Henry, your dinner is downstairs, you will eat it, do your homework, and be in bed by 11." She shook her head, watching as the glitter tumbled to the floor for effect. "Don't stay up till all hours on the console. I will know."

Regina turned and walked into her bedroom, glitter dropping to the ground with every step. "I don't know why you feel the need to keep acting like a five year old Emma." Her tone was short, her voice quiet as she spoke. This was the last straw. "So maybe I should call the Officers Association and tell them that you will not be accepting an award tonight." Emma looked up from where she was changing with a frown.

"Wait… what?"

Regina sighed. Her anger had quickly diminished and she was suddenly just tired. "It was supposed to be a surprise. You were invited to be honoured and I wanted to make it a special night for you because you deserve this award and now… we'll be late because I have to change. I can't show up as your date looking like this." Emma had finished tying her tie as Regina spoke, before she walked over to her girlfriend, brushing off any available spot of glitter that she could see. She ran her fingers gently through Regina's hair, trying not to disturb any of the curls that she had styled. She was being gentle and managing to wipe most of it off, Regina's frustration was wavering. It had been a harmless prank and she didn't want to ruin the evening or their night away with her sour mood.

"You're cleaning every speck of this when we return tomorrow, I swear Emma." Her smile was tight, but she could see Emma's shoulders relax and it caused her smile to widen a little. Emma's hands stilled and Regina took the opportunity to take hold of her hands. "I'm so proud of you Emma. The Association were very keen to honour you and I see why every time I see you protecting our town."

The taller woman drew the shorter one into a hug and the pair stood for a few moments, just comforting each other. When they separated, Regina turned and Emma made sure all visible glitter had been brushed off. There were a few specks left in her hair but Emma thought that they looked" cute and didn't want to ruin her style by picking through it. "Okay, we should get going. It's a bit of a drive and as much as being honoured does sound fun, I can't wait to get back to the hotel room and peel you out of this dress."

Regina couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up and she pushed the blonde away with a grin. "Go and say goodbye to your son. I'm going to put our bags in the car. If you're not down there in 5 minutes, there'll be no peeling out of the dress." Emma left the room with a chuckle, hugging her son quickly before arriving to the car before Regina. Emma was smiling as they drove away from the house, while Regina was silent, thinking.

She didn't bring it up again for twenty four hours until they returned home and only then did she remind the younger woman to vacuum the glitter up. After that, the pranking ceased. Emma seemed to know that any other pranks would not be kindly received and Henry understood that Emma was not willing to do anything to upset the mayor. Life went back to normal and Regina seemed happy with the way everything was going.

Or so Emma thought.

The family had managed to go a month with no issues. The pair were as romantic and affectionate as they'd been for the latter half of their anniversary and so no one had any reason to expect anything was wrong.

Therefore it was a big surprise to Emma when she returned home one day after work to see the mansion listed as 'For Sale'. The sign definitely hadn't been there when she'd left that morning and there had been no discussions about it and so Emma assumed that it had simply been added to the wrong house. She pulled it out, laying it behind the hedge until she could determine where it should be, and walked into the house, calling out for her girlfriend.

"Gina, some realtor put a sale sign up outside. Do you know who on this street is selling? I need to make sure they get their sign back." There was no verbal response to her question, but Emma could hear Regina moving about the study, and so followed the noise into there. "Gina, did you hear me?" The door to the study was open and so with a quiet rap on the frame she stepped inside, seeing two of the shelves behind her desk were now clear of the books and trinkets that she kept there. Her stomach somersaulted as if she already knew the answer to her next question.

"What's going on Regina?" The woman in question looked up with tears in her eyes, continuing to wrap the expensive first editions she kept there, before placing them gingerly in the boxes that littered her desk and floor.

"We're moving. I have to start sooner rather than later. This is a big house and I don't know how long we'll have to pack. " Emma frowned, taking a step forward, ready to start helping her wrap the books.

"Okay. Where are we going? How come this is the first I've heard of this?" She scanned Regina's face. She could see that there was something that was not being said, it looked as if the brunette was weighing up whether to say it.

"When I say we… I mean Henry and I…" The words looked like they pained her to say, and she looked down at her desk to avoid seeing the same hurt on the blonde's face. "Henry and I are moving away. He's getting older now but… he still needs to be in a healthy environment and this right here…" She gestured between the two of them. "This isn't one."

Emma opened her mouth and closed it again, feeling like her heart had been ripped from her chest. "But… no… just wait Gina… what are you talking about? I thought we were doing ok? Whatever is wrong, I can fix it. I will. I swear. You just have to give me one more chance."

Regina sighed loudly and put down the book that was in her hands, stepping out from behind her desk. Emma thought she was going to hug her so stepped forwards, further pain exploding through her as the older woman stepped around her and walked out of the room. Emma followed her like a lost puppy, waiting for her to respond.

"I just can't do this anymore Emma. This constant… tension. It's not good for me. It's not good for Henry. We're going to go and travel. Maybe see Washington, or I believe he wants to see California. This…" She was gesturing as she walked until she stopped suddenly and turned to face the floundering blonde. "We have just… run our course."

"Regina wait. Please we can talk about this. This is us. It can't end like this!" She followed again when the other woman carried on walking before grabbing at her wrist to pull her back. "Please stop. I'll stop with the pranks. I only ever wanted to make you laugh. Regina please don't leave me."

The door slammed before either could say another word and Henry walked in, his brows raising at the scene in front of him. "Moms… what's going on?"

"Henry…" Regina spoke before Emma could say anything. "Go and start packing up your room. Just the things in storage that you don't use often. We need to be ready for as soon as the house sells okay?" Emma looked past her girlfriend, staring at her son, hoping he'd be the one Regina would listen to if he told her she was crazy. Instead he shrugged, heading upstairs without another word.

In what seemed like less than fifteen minutes, Emma's world had come crumbling down. She stuttered and stepped back, not wanting to be in Regina's personal space. She was trying to decide between staying to help her family pack to leave, or running away as fast and as far as she could.

It was an easy decision.

She was going to spend as many last moments with her girlfriend and son as she could before they left her forever.

With a sigh she turned away from her girlfriend, ready to go and keep packing up books. She couldn't explain the unease she was feeling, but it seemed as if something was being left unsaid.

They spent the rest of the evening packing up her office in near silence, Emma forgoing dinner when it was offered to her. When Regina went upstairs to shower, Emma went to their bedroom with another box, packing up some of the things she knew Regina wouldn't need. When one was full she ran for another, wanting to help with this part of the packing before Regina returned from the shower. The second box was mostly empty but she picked hem both up and carried them downstairs.

The full box was dumped in the garbage and the second was put in the car, wanting to get out of there before she broke down and begged Regina to stay. To take her back. To not abandon her like everyone else had. She contemplated going to her parents, then realised it would be the first place the brunette would look for her.

Until she remembered that they were over and Regina wouldn't be looking for her.

She couldn't stop the tears from falling now she was out of the house and didn't want to risk driving. Instead she pulled the box onto her lap, in order to take it with her wherever she decided to go. It didn't have much. Her blanket, a few important photos and keepsakes and things related to her job. Brushing the tears from her cheeks she closed her eyes tightly, took hold of the box and wished she was anywhere else.

Regina took her time showering and moisturizing. She could see that Emma was hurting and was wondering exactly how to approach the subject with her. She was no clearer as she left the bathroom and went into her room to change, noticing something was wrong in her room but not sure what.

"Mom?"

"Yes dear?" Regina was distracted as she sat in front of her vanity, adding the right creams and serums to her face as part of her nightly routine.

"What's going on?" Regina didn't turn, instead raising her brow at her son through the mirror.

"Nothing sweetheart." She wasn't sure exactly what to say to her son. The evening hadn't exactly gone as she'd expected.

"Well where's ma gone? Why has she taken all her stuff?"

Regina's heart dropped to her stomach and she turned on the stool, looking at the open drawers and the missing clothes from the closet. "What? When did she leave? Where did she go? Why didn't you stop her?" She got more frantic with each question and the teen jerked back as she approached him.

"Mom, calm down. She's probably just praying another prank. It's been a while since the last one." He shrugged with a frown when Regina's face didn't change.

"No, you don't understand. I'm playing a prank on her. She thinks that we're moving I wanted to make a point… I said I was going to take you." It took Regina a moment to fully understand what she had done, remembering the look in Emma's eyes, the words she'd said and she heaved, just making it to the bathroom before she vomited. Henry stood in the doorway, not sure exactly what he was supposed, or expected to do.

"You thought the best prank to play on Emma was to let her think she was being abandoned, by the one person who promised to never leave her. To make her think that her son was being taken from her. To make her get close to a family only for them to abandon her again?" Regina turned to face her son, tears already beginning to drip down her cheeks.

"I know Henry, I know!" He left the room as his mother stood and moved over to the sink, brushing her teeth before following her son out. "I need to fix this. Where would she have gone?"

Henry shrugged, not sure what was really going on and how he could fix it. "The loft?" The older brunette nodded in acceptance, swirling a finger to make Henry turn around so she could change. When he did, he quickly pulled out his phone, texting his other mother 'where are you'. He slid his phone back into his pocket as Regina spoke again.

"I'm gonna go to the loft then check the station. If she's not there then I'm going to look for her. Stay here. Call me if she comes back." She was out of the room with a flourish and Henry sighed, going back to his room, debating whether or not to go and look for his other mother himself. His phone buzzed and the text he'd received made his decision for him.

'I'm sorry kid.' At 15, Henry had outgrown the childish pranks that he'd loved when he was younger. The pranks and practical jokes that his ma had been playing on Regina had made him laugh, because he'd watch the way Regina would pretend to get angry, and the way that Emma would 'make it up to her' with little gestures and gifts until she'd been properly forgiven. He'd never seen either of them happier.

He knew one day they would get out of control and something would go wrong. He didn't think they'd mess it up quite this badly though.

'I need to see you. Tell me where you are'.

'Tell your mom I'm where we were when I realised I wanted to marry her'.

Henry faltered at what he read, taking a screenshot before forwarding it to his mother. Not sure what else to do, he sat down at his desk to finish his homework.

Regina pulled out her phone the second the notification bell rang and as soon as she read the message Emma had sent Henry, her heart automatically lifted and sunk all at once. She knew where the blonde was. She'd felt the same thing when they'd been there and she knew exactly where to go. She closed her eyes and with a flick of her wrist she was in the clearing where they'd watched the stars. She looked around as soon as her surroundings became clear, looking for any sign of the blonde. She spotted her perched against a fallen tree trunk, her legs raised to her chest, sobbing into her knees.

"Emma…"

"You came. Why did you come here?" The tears didn't stop as she looked up at the woman she didn't know if she had a future with.

Regina was by her side in a second, easily pulling the taller woman onto her lap, holding onto her too tightly until the sobs subsided. "Emma, you have to come home. We're not going anywhere, we never were. It was a joke, in poor taste, I know. But Emma, the thought of living without you… it makes me physically sick. We love you. We need you to come home."

"You're just saying that now Regina, because Henry probably yelled at you. You…" She hiccupped as she spoke, burying her face in the crook of her arm. "You made it clear what you felt… what you wanted. I'm making it easier for you. You can go home and unpack. You don't need to leave. I'll just… be gone."

Regina cringed at the pain in Emma's voice and shifted to make the blonde face her. "Emma, stop, please. I love you. I don't want to leave you and I don't want you to leave either. I will spend the rest of my life proving this to you if you want…" She pressed light kisses to her cheeks, wiping away the tears with her thumbs. "This is us Emma. We're your forever family. That's not going to change. You're not alone, and you never will be again. I promise you this."

* * *

Ok, so I watch a YouTube channel called Whealth by Slaiman where Slaiman and his girlfriend prank each other (check it out, they're hilarious) and it gave me the idea for this story. It's obviously not verbatim and just the ideas of the pranks are really used and the names of the videos are listed below in order of use. Also I struggled to name this. It's nothing to do with the TV show of the same name, instead the name came from when I finished writing it at 1am, and I added in the title into other parts of the story to make it fit.

So the pranks in order of appearance on Whealth by Slaiman are:

\- I CHEATED on you overseas PRANK! GONE HORRIBLY WRONG!

\- Spicy Noodle PRANK on Boyfriend! SHE GOT REVENGE!

\- (Combination of) Forgetting my Girlfriend's Birthday PRANK! I MADE HER CRY / Ruining our Anniversary PRANK on my Girlfriend!

\- (w/ bonus EXTREME Electric Shock PRANK on Girlfriend - SMOKING reaction).

\- Break Up PRANK turns into PROPOSAL! GONE WRONG!

Also this did get fluffy and romantic-ish towards the end of the third prank and I don't know why that happened when I'm currently being ghosted myself, but maybe it's because I was writing this bit when I was reading Sincerely Daniella (Eija Jimenez, not that you will ever read this, but you broke and fixed by heart with your DT and SD and I blame you for any fluffy bits and angsty bits in here).


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